Activities

Pedestrian Workshop Gets Improvements Rolling in Houston

The Houston Center for Independent Living, a JTA partner, hosted a Pedestrian Workshop, conducted by Trans Texas Alliance's Charlie Gandy in early October 2002. With the help of Just Transportation Alliances, the workshop led to the development of a Pedestrian/ Bicycle Initiative to work to increase resources and improve implementation of pedestrian and bicycle initiatives in the Houston area. The initiative is the work of a coalition of groups and individuals from such diverse groups as Texas Children's Hospital, Sierra Club, Gulf Coast Institute, ADAPT, HCIL, and Bike Houston, with input from specialists at the City of Houston and Houston-Galveston Area Council. The group has developed a draft proposal (PDF) for the iniative and is working to expand the coalition.

Workshop Description: On October 8th, the Houston Center for Independent Living, a partner of the Greater Houston Just Transportation Alliance, hosted a pedestrian workshop in Southwest Houston conducted by Charlie Gandy, pedestrian and transportation consultant with the Trans Texas Alliance. These workshops bring together neighborhood residents, business owners, city staff, and other stakeholders to learn ways to make streets more pedestrian friendly as well as to identify problems in the neighborhood and solutions to those problems. The workshops always include a "walkabout" in the area, and in this case, the Houston CIL provided wheelchairs for participants who had never experienced the negotiation of sidewalks by wheelchair.

For those who tried the wheelchairs out on the sidewalks along Fondren Avenue the experience was eye opening. What at first appeared to be small breaks and slight angles in the path became nearly insurmountable obstacles that could result in significant danger - tipping over or careening into oncoming traffic. Fortunately, the Houston Police Department provided an escort for those who did not feel safe on the sidewalks and preferred to roll or walk on the street. For once, traffic was forced to slow down for pedestrians!

After returning to Liberty Baptist Church, where the workshop was held, the City of Houston's Sidewalk Coordinator recognized the need to repair the sidewalks in the area. The participants learned that all city sidewalk repairs and installations are request-generated. Currently, the City has $4.5 million for the program. They currently have 348 projects and are behind about 3-4 months due to contracting issues. Additionally, the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities administers the Pedestrian Access Repair (PAR) Program to ensure that people with disabilities can access essential services.

Workshop participants were glad to learn more about the process and resources in place to make necessary improvements to sidewalks; however, some expressed concern that their requests had gone unanswered in the past. Linda Pickle of the Houston Center for Independent Living vowed to track any requests made by following up with the city on a weekly basis. Additionally, participants began a discussion of ways to get more resources to address the significant needs, including building a coalition with other pedestrian advocates.